Abstract

Every year, substantial numbers of nurses are recruited from overseas despite nursing courses in the UK being vastly over-subscribed. This has led to a situation where many, well-qualified young people in this country are denied the opportunity to become nurses. This yearly limit on nurse education places also puts the NHS in a weak position for hiring and retaining staff as nurses, knowing they are in short supply, can work for agencies that charge substantially higher fees to supply the public sector with staff.